Stephen F. Austin CB Charles Demmings Builds Buzz Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft

Nine career interceptions and 35 passes defended — a Stephen F. Austin program record — have positioned Charles Demmings as one of the more compelling boundary cornerbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft cycle. The 6-foot-1 Lumberjack earned First-Team AFCA FCS All-American honors in 2025 and landed an invitation to the Panini Senior Bowl in Mobile, where scouts had a chance to measure him against NFL-caliber competition.

Pro Football Focus rated Demmings' coverage grades above 80.0 in back-to-back seasons, logging an 81.6 mark in 2024 and an 80.4 in 2025. During the 2025 season, quarterbacks who dared to target him paid for it: he allowed an NFL passer rating of just 39.8 into his coverage while recording four interceptions and finishing among the conference's best at his position. FCS Football Central slotted him as the No. 3 overall FCS prospect for the 2026 cycle.

The scouting language around Demmings consistently returns to the same themes: size, length, and physicality. "Charles Demmings is a cornerback with good size, very good length, and a muscular, athletic frame, whose play is highlighted by coverage versatility and a quick trigger," wrote Gerald J. Huggins II in a 2026 scouting report. "He shows poise, balance, and range in zone coverage, with the ability to split routes and close downhill with good burst and disruptiveness at the catch point."

PFF, which tracked 1,731 career snaps for Demmings at outside corner, noted he "brings ideal NFL size and traits at 6-foot-1 with good length and athleticism, though he will need to add weight to his 191-pound frame." His top-end speed remains a point of anticipation rather than confirmation, with PFF noting it is "rumored" and expected to be verified at the NFL Combine.

There are legitimate questions scouts will want answered. Huggins flagged that Demmings "shows some stiffness in his transitions and at times can be overly physical mid-phase, leading to penalties" — he drew three flags in 2025. Vikingswire complicated the evaluation further, noting he "came to football really late in his athletic life, which is both good and bad," suggesting some teams will project limitless upside while others will discount the late development. The consensus landing spot is day three of the draft, where the same outlet called him "one of the brighter spots" among late-round candidates and "worth a stash on a team with some good cornerbacks ahead of him."

If drafted, Demmings would be the first Stephen F. Austin player selected since 2023 and the first Lumberjack defensive back taken since Terrance Shaw went in 1995. His projection, per Huggins, is as "an adequate NFL rotational prospect with upside in zone-heavy but balanced defensive schemes" that let him leverage his physicality and length at the catch point while contributing immediately on special teams.

Minnesota has surfaced as one team worth watching. Vikingswire noted the franchise's secondary "has been unreliable in 2025" with Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers already on the roster, and framed the 2026 draft as a prime window for youth infusion at the position. Whether it is Minnesota or another organization, the Combine and its 40-yard dash will determine how far up the board Demmings can climb.